When manufacturing fiber composite components for avionics mainly prepregs are used, for example fiber fabric or weave preimpregnated with a matrix material such as an epoxy. Instead of prepregs resin transfer molder (RTM) in combination with a preform from dry fiber material may be used. A dry preform, i.e. a preform not having been impregnated with a matrix material before, is shaped into the desired shape and only afterwards impregnated with matrix material.
A method and a device for manufacturing of preforms is described in DE 10 2010 014 704 A1. In a first step continuously fed fiber layers are shaped at a right angle in a predefined manner. The resulting shaped profile is then bent in a longitudinal direction in a predefined manner.
The document Reinhold, R.: “Preformfertigung—Automatisches Handling für effiziente Anlagen”, Maschinenmarkt, Composite World, April 2011 discloses a composite handling system that utilizes a preforming tool to shape a dray fiber fabric into a desired preform shape.